lighting that will make fish colors "pop"

[lousybreed]

I have a 15 gal with cardnials and rams. when i shine a flashlight into the tank from the side the Rams blue color becomes very intense. I have a flourescent light. Has anyone ever light their tank with the small halogen spotlights that are used in home lighting. (the ones that come with a built in relfector?) my fish look great when they are at the rear of the tank, but look drab when they are in the front. any suggestions?

 

[Blinky]

You can get fluorescents in a huge range of colours, some of which will really enhance the colours of your fish.
When I switched to 9325K compact fluorescent bulbs I found the colours of the fish and plants really intensified. Some people like lighting down around the 5500K - 7500K range and find 9325s too 'blue'/cool, but the 9325s are perfect to my eye, very crisp.
A 'bluer' bulb might help make your fishes colours 'pop', depending on what you've got on the tank right now, just a thought.

 

[Brain]

AS you already discovered, it's about the angle of the light. Best to put the light strip close to the front edge of the top. Many of the plastic hoods don't allow for this because that's where the hinged doors are.

I cover my tanks with a sheet of tempered glass, cut to sit on the lip inside the rim. It is cut an inch shorter on the length to allow for hoses, cords, food, etc. Alternately I've seen some folks cut the glass to full size and just clip off the 2 back corners. That's better if you have "jumpers". At any rate, the light sits on the frame, right up at the front edge.

This does create somewhat of a shadow at the back edge near the waterline, but definitely shows off the fish's colors better.

Just my $0.02

 

[Lauren]

lighting aside, put in dark gravel too, it'll make the fish look brighter.

 

[lousybreed]

i am going to add darker gravel, i just need to find some good dark gravel..i hate the epoxy coated stuff. any suggestions where to get cheap dark gravel?

 

[sdb]

What about that black Onyx sand, or whatever it's called. I've seen some tanks on here with that as the substrate and it looks awesome. Don't know the cost, though.

 

[chunksofpoooo]

You could also try crushed lava. Its hard to find (ive only seen it at my lfs a few times) so you could try ordering it through a garden center or something. It gives the tank a very "ancient" or rustic look. it works really well with a mix of red lava rocks and driftwood. A few saggiteria or wisteria would look great too.

go with the "blue" flourescent lighting

 

[ryan]

I use 18000k "power-glo" and "aqua-glo" bulbs. They make my cichlids shimmer in blues and reds.

ryan